Music

Wack 100's being sued by a Hollywood actor claiming a brutal beatdown from the hip-hop manager left him bloodied and disfigured ... with his jaw wired shut.

Kenneth Lawson, who stars on the sitcom "In the Cut," is suing The Game and Blueface's manager claiming he got knocked out by Wack while he and his wife, Monique, dined at the sushi joint Yamashiro Hollywood back in December 2019.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, Kenneth claims he was approached by Wack 100, who he says he had never met before, and started yelling at him and accusing Kenneth of speaking to Wack's wife.

Kenneth says Monique introduced herself as Kenneth's wife in an attempt to deescalate the sitch ... but to no avail. Instead, Kenneth claims Wack yelled, "Keep your bitch in check" before allegedly striking him in the mouth and jaw ... causing him to "violently strike his head on the ground, knocking him unconscious."

Kenneth also claims Wack, no stranger to throwing hands, turned to Monique and nearly struck her too before he was allegedly restrained by guests who intervened. He claims he suffered a 4-inch deep laceration to his lip and chin, multiple fractures to his jaw, three dislodged teeth and one tooth knocked out ... requiring his jaw to be wired for 3 months.

And, get this ... Kenneth claims he lost his Bounce TV show due to his injuries, which at the time of the incident was in its 7th season.

Kenneth and Monique are also suing Cash Money Records and its label honcho, Birdman, claiming Wack was at the restaurant that night to promote a recording artist named Bre.

Tiffany Haddish and Nicki Minaj got beef ... it sure seems like it anyway, after the comedian threw some major shade at the rapper.

Tiffany was partaking in a Clubhouse chat recently when a guy compared her to Nicki -- calling her the "Nicki Minaj of comedy right now." Haddish wasn't having it.

After another voice in the discussion suggested Tiffany's better than Nicki because she "shows up on time," Tiff chimed in herself with ... "And unlike Nicki, I treat everybody with respect and dignity."

If it seems like this is coming out of left field -- that's not entirely true. The 2 ladies have a little bit of history dating back to the 2018 VMAs, when Tiffany, a presenter, made a joke about the group Fifth Harmony.

Nicki took exception to the diss, and later defended her friend in the group, telling Tiff ... "Don't be coming for Fifth Harmony because Normani is that bitch!"

The Texas Rangers are paying tribute to Charley Pride -- who owned part of the team -- by naming a baseball field after the country music legend.

The Rangers announced the decision Sunday ... unveiling "Charley Pride Field" at the official Rangers spring training complex in Surprise, Arizona.

“Introducing Charley Pride Field! You are greatly missed,” the team said in a statement.

Pride -- a Country Music Hall of Fame inductee and 3x Grammy award winner who was nominated 13 times -- died December 12, 2020 from complications related to COVID-19 at the age of 86.

The legendary country singer held a part-ownership stake in the Rangers after joining a group that purchased the team in 2010.

Pride was a frequent visitor to the Texas Rangers Spring Training facility.

That should come as no surprise since Pride was a BALLER back in his day. Before deciding to pick up the microphone, he was a standout pitcher in the Negro Leagues in the 1950s and 1960s.

CP even had a couple of brief stints with the Yankees and Reds minor league squads ... before retiring from baseball and becoming a music superstar.

Pride sang the National Anthem in July 2020 at the Rangers Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas ... the first-ever baseball game at the field, and one of his last live performances.

Pride was such a talented and respected performer, he was honored during The Grammys on Sunday night in the "In Memoriam" segment.

Here's a true sign things are returning to normal -- Beyonce and Jay-Z getting swarmed by paparazzi leaving a celebratory dinner after an awards show.

The couple hit up a Grammys after-party at Giorgio Baldi restaurant Sunday night in Santa Monica, and everyone wanted a shot of Bey and Jay, but especially the Queen B ... who just set a record by winning her 28th Grammy Award.

Fittingly ... Beyonce's outfit looks like it's made of gold.

As we reported ... Beyonce set the Grammys' record with her win for Best R&B Performance, and during her speech, she shouted out her daughter, Blue Ivy. Blue -- who's only 9 years old -- won her first Grammy earlier in the night.

Megan Thee Stallion is squarely contradicting The Weeknd's claim that the Grammys are corrupt ... but still lending him her support.

We caught Meg Sunday leaving the Highlight Room in Hollywood after a big night that saw her walking away with 3 Grammy wins, including one for Best New Artist. MTS was clearly on a high, pointing out the united front women put on with a record amount of awards.

Not only did Meg win a handful ... but her collaborator, Beyonce, tacked on a historic 28th Grammy -- making her the leading female artist with the most accolades ever. So yeah, huge night for the ladies.

Oh, and speaking of that, Meg's got a great take on Lizzo's viral moment too. Sounds like Megan aspires to be as candid as she was ... which she fulfilled later in this interview.

At one point while she's still signing autographs from inside her car, someone asks flat out if the Grammy Awards are rigged -- and Meg doesn't make any bones about it ... saying "hell no."

Then comes the natural follow-up question -- well, if that's the case, what about Weeknd's beef/accusations? There's no doubt, she's definitely still got love for the dude -- but she ends up putting the matter in terms of winners and losers.

Naya Rivera got left out of the Grammys' "In Memoriam" tribute .. and fans are irate.

There were lots of names and songs played during Sunday's TV broadcast as part of the Grammys' annual "In Memoriam" tribute ... but noticeably absent was Naya's name and contribution to the industry.

Naya, nominated in 2010 for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals during her "Glee" run, died at just 33 years old last summer after accidentally drowning during a boating trip with her then 4-year-old son, Josey Hollis Dorsey, in Ventura County.

Little Richard, Gerry Marsden, John Prine and Kenny Rogers were included in the tribute but no dice for Naya. It should be noted ... her name was included among the more than 1,000 people listed in the Grammys' online Memoriam ... but getting ignored on the TV broadcast drove fans to express outrage and disappointment.

One fan wrote, "Since the #GRAMMYs didn't mention her I'll do it. Rest in peace Naya Rivera you beautiful angel ❤️ we love you and miss you so much." Another fan wrote, "I'm disappointed and utterly heartbroken. Naya gave SO much to the music world. She deserves a mention AT LEAST. Put some respect on her name. #grammys."

Country artist Alison Krauss was only 16-years-old when she shot to stardom after releasing her first solo album "Too Late To Cry" in 1987 ... and then followed it up by joining forces with the band Union Station to form Alison Krauss & Union Station and release a string of popular country and bluegrass albums over the years.

Since the start of her music career, AK has shot out a long list of southern-charm songs and also found her way into the movie/soundtrack business which ... in total ... has won her 27 Grammy awards and held the claim to fame as winning the most all time by a female artist -- only to lose the prestigious title last night to Beyonce.

Reggie Warren -- one of the original five members of the R&B group TROOP -- has died ... TMZ has learned.

A rep for the group tells us Reggie passed away Sunday at his home in Pasadena, surrounded by family. We're told he's been dealing with health issues for a while now, and was even hospitalized for a couple months back in January.

The rep says Reggie was released from the hospital Saturday with the anticipation he would die. We're told his death is not COVID related -- but the family didn't want to discuss an official cause until an autopsy could be performed.

Reggie started out with TROOP when it first formed in the '80s, alongside childhood friends Rodney Benford, John Harreld, Steve Russell and Allen McNeil. Russell paid tribute to his longtime collaborator in an IG post on Sunday, writing ... "Job well done my brother I will see you on the other side🌹🌹😓😥😓😥😓RIP Reggie Warren. #DamnReggie."

The quintet signed to Atlantic Records and released their debut album in '88, which saw a hit in their lead single 'Mamacita.' They're more well-known for their 2nd album, 'Attitude,' though, which spawned two #1s in songs like "All I Do is Think of You" and "Spread My Wings."

Beyond their musical success, TROOP -- which stands for Total Respect of Other People -- might also be remembered as the a capella group singing a cover of "Living For the City" in the cult classic film "New Jack City" -- which they all briefly appear in during a montage.

'Living For the City' got mashed together with Queen Latifah's 'For the Love of Money' -- also featured in the movie -- for a memorable medley that came to be associated with 'NJC.'

The group went on a hiatus in the late '90s, but got back together and went touring in the 2000s and beyond ... having appeared in concert with notable acts like Boyz II Men, Keith Sweat, Jon B, Brian McKnight and other artists and groups that were popular in those days.

Looks like the fellas stayed on good terms through the 2010s, as they'd often appear together at different public events like the BET Awards and beyond.

Reggie was 51.

Beyonce and Jay-Z's daughter, Blue Ivy, just won herself some hardware at the Grammys -- which makes her the second youngest to ever walk away with the prize.

Bey and Blue just won for Best Music Video ... an award that was given out before the broadcast, which starts at 5 PM PT. The Recording Academy gave props to the team, tagging Beyonce and hashtagging BI (since she doesn't have Twitter yet), plus Wizkid.

The Academy wrote, "Congrats Best Music Video winner - 'BROWN SKIN GIRL' @Beyonce #BlueIvy @wizkidayo Sparkles #GRAMMYs." The track and accompanying video were part of Beyonce's 'Lion King' album, 'The Gift' -- and yes, Blue DOES have a verse in there.

She shows up throughout the video alongside her mom, but toward the end ... Blue dishes out the outro, nearly identical to the intro and chorus ... "Brown skin girl // Your skin just like pearls // The best thing in the world // I'd never trade you for anybody else, singin'."

It's a small contribution, but it counts ... and Blue's even a featured name on the song. So, yes ... she also gets credit, and just as important, she also gets a statuette -- joining her folks, who've got dozens of Grammys among themselves. Now, it's a family affair!

At age 9, Blue becomes one of the youngest artists to have the honor bestowed on her. In 2002, the music group The Peasall Sisters won a Grammy for Best Album for the soundtrack to "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" to which they contributed on "In the Highways."

A new video of Trey Songz oozing saliva into the mouths of two women is raising a lot of questions -- perhaps most important of which being ... how in the hell is this safe?!?

Check out this 13-second clip of a shirtless Trey on what appears to be a set of some sort, with two women kneeling in down in front of his junk (which luckily doesn't make an appearance) and licking each other's tongues, as TS stands above and spits on 'em.

The clip -- which doesn't have much context at this point -- is quite gross on its face, as the internet duly noted after it surfaced and went viral. It sure seems degrading, but the two women here appear to be more than active and willing participants.

It looks like Trey's being photographed -- which is leading some to believe he's doing a shoot, a music video or another visual project.

Someone set Selena Gomez's new song, 'Damelo To,' to this video -- kinda like folks do on TikTok or IG these days -- but there's no evidence this is being shot for her song or that she's involved at all. Besides, Trey's not featured in that track ... Myke Towers is.

Anyway, assuming Trey is, in fact, on a set here ... the question must be asked -- even if everyone involved agreed to partake, how is this even being allowed in the first place amid a pandemic? Sure, you can test and whatever else ... but this act alone feels like it'd be banned on any set anywhere right now (assuming they're actually following guidelines).

Tank says the Grammys is one of those institutions that's part of the old guard of Hollywood -- which he admits has racism deeply embedded -- but he's got a way to turn it around.

We were at LAX when we caught the R&B crooner -- who's been nominated a whopping 5 times at the Grammys himself -- and asked what he made of The Weeknd's emphatic boycott and the accusation that Grammy honchos are inherently racist and out of touch.

Check it out ... Tank doesn't deny it, but he does say the org's new Prez and CEO, Harvey Mason Jr., is a good man whom he genuinely believes wants to make the show more inclusive and in touch with 2021 audiences. HMJ is very new to the job ... about 2 years in.

Tank also hit us with some solid suggestions on how to get the right artists nominated and how to gauge whose music is actually connecting with the world and how.

Watch ... he basically says the Recording Academy needs voters in these committees who ACTUALLY know the artists they're reviewing and are experts in the categories for which they're weighing ballots. He offers up some names of artists as an example -- like Lil Uzi Vert and A Boogie wit da Hoodie -- as guys that these old heads might not know of at all.

Tank explains that skimming through a few songs from artists you're not familiar with just isn't won't cut it anymore -- he says voters gotta understand the full scope and impact of what they're reviewing, and while he doesn't explicitly say it ... it might require some new blood.

A-Rod confirms on video what TMZ broke this morning ... that he and J Lo are still hangin' on.

This video was shot outside A-Rod's gym in Miami ... where a photog asked him if he was single. A-Rod answered definitively in the negative. The conversation was interrupted by a phone call, which A-Rod took -- but he told the caller he'd call back, "baby."

We don't know if the person on the other end was J Lo, but it seems like a good guess.

Remember, A-Rod and J Lo told TMZ Saturday morning ... "We are working through some things."

Our A-Rod and J Lo sources told TMZ, Friday was "a bad day." From what we can gather, it appears they had some sort of blowout fight. It's unclear if one or the other said the relationship is over in the heat of the moment ... but if that was said, they're taking it back now.

A-Rod and J Lo did not say what exactly they're working through -- however, they told us on Saturday that it did not involve a third person.

One thing that's still unclear ... is the engagement still on?

LeBron James undeniably has moves, but guess what ... so does his daughter!!!

6-year-old Zhuri is amazing, dancing to Cardi B's, "Up." It's flawlessly executed, with the help of her dance instructor ... but it doesn't really seem Zhuri needs much instruction. Talk about projecting greatness ... this kid's gonna be a true performer.

LeBron said the dance lesson had just ended when Zhuri got to pick any song to freestyle to, and she picked Cardi's latest single. The dance is big on TikTok, but God help anyone who tries to best Zhuri, 'cause she's awesome!

LeBron wrote, "yeah it’s officially over for me guys!! I feel bad for whomever my Baby Z decides to bring home first!"

Yo-Yo Ma decided to do what he does best to celebrate COVID immunity ... he played his cello for those right behind him.

The famed musician received his second dose at Berkshire Community College in Massachusetts Saturday and you could call this bookends.

Exactly a year ago Yo-Yo Ma posted a recording of himself playing music with the hashtag, @Songs Of Comfort. This was posted at a time of fear, and now there are signs of hope.

It's interesting ... there are other clinics administering the vaccine where music is everywhere.  Doctors say it's calming for people who are anxious about getting the vaccine. Some clinics actually encourage dancing ... making the atmosphere friendly and celebratory rather than scary.

Elvis Presley is about to make someone the king of rock n' roll memorabilia -- that's if you make the winning bid on a guitar used for his famous 1968 comeback.

The folks over at Kruse GWS Auctions are handling the auction of Elvis' rare cherry red Hagstrom Viking II guitar. EP was slinging this axe when he shot the highly anticipated TV special on NBC, which marked his return to performing live music ... after a 7-year hiatus focusing on movie roles.

This guitar has tons of Elvis history attached to it beyond the special -- it was featured on the cover of his "From Elvis in Memphis" album cover, and it was once displayed at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Museum.

The winning bidder of this auction -- which kicks off March 27 at 10 AM -- will also get sheet music from the '68 TV special. It's a nice cherry on top, especially considering Kruse GWS anticipates the guitar will fetch somewhere between $750k and $1 million.

And, for those who get outbid on the guitar, no worries ... there's other cool Elvis memorabilia also on the auction block -- like his personally owned 14k yellow gold and blue enamel TCB (taking care of business) necklace.

In the non-Elvis department -- Elizabeth Taylor's personally owned earrings, broach and necklace ... as well as the 1950 Cadillac Fleetwood from "The Godfather."

Cardi B appears to be downplaying The Weeknd's fury about being snubbed at the Grammys with a spotlight on other Black artists who are getting recognized ... which is interesting.

The rapper posted a lengthy statement Saturday about her thoughts on all the Grammys drama, and while she acknowledged she did think some albums and songs probably should've gotten nominated, she doesn't seem nearly as miffed as others are.

All she has to say on the matter of snubs is ... "[M]aybe by next year they will get it right."

What she did want to talk about at length, however, was the fact that a number of lesser-known, independent Black artists WERE nominated this year ... and that they should be allowed to revel in that honor, because too often they're overlooked despite being amazing.

Cardi writes, "Don’t forget to congratulate the small black artist that got nominated that got overshadowed again cause of the drama. It’s their moment finally!" She goes on to cite artists who are up for an award, like Freddie Gibbs, Giveon, Brittany Howard, Ant Clemons, Ledisi, Luke James, Thundercat, Chika, Jean and Marcus Baylor and more ... several of whom Cardi notes that don't get the pub, like marquee names in the music biz do on the regular.

She ends by saying, "Soo besides all the bulls*** let's not forget to congratulate these artists," going on to say this is their moment too and that folks shouldn't overshadow it "cause your favorite might not be on the list." Her choice of words here certainly raises an eyebrow.

Of course, The Weeknd just recently vowed to boycott the Grammys going forward -- this after accusing them of being corrupt and running secret committees that supposedly require a lot of ass-kissing behind closed doors. The Grammys has denied that characterization.

Still, it sounds like Abel's other contemporaries mostly agree with him that the Grammys get it wrong time and again. Drake chimed in not too long ago with that exact sentiment ... and even Beyonce's gonna be a no-show on Sunday, despite being the most nominated artist.